Marine Cpl. Ronny Porta was severely burned in May 2007 in Al Asad, Iraq, when his Humvee hit an improvised explosive device. Two other Marines died in the attack. Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

Cpl. Ronny Porta pets Flea, the family dog. "This is home for me," says Porta, 26, who grew up in Beltsville, Md., a suburb of Washington, after his family emigrated from Peru. "But sometimes, it's kind of hard saying, 'I am home.' " Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

At his mother's home in Beltsville, Md., Ronny Porta gets help with his shoes from his wife, Deicy. He was burned over 35% of his body. He had to have his right arm amputated and suffered facial disfigurement, the loss of his nose, damage to ears and eye sockets, and loss of fingers on his left hand. Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

Ronny Porta rubs his son Kenneth's head while eating breakfast along with wife Deicy, 23, in Beltsville, Md. Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

Ronny and Deicy Porta take their 10-month-old son, Kenneth, to a Target store in Beltsville, Md. It can be uncomfortable to be in public. "The way they look at me was like if I have a disease or something that could be contagious," Porta says. Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

Marine Cpl. Ronny Porta drives to a grocery store in Beltsville, Md., in his specially equipped van. What excites him most, however, is moving his family to tiny Lovettsville, Va. He hopes to build a home there later this year on a 7-acre parcel with help from a non-profit group, the Semper Fi Fund. Jack Gruber, USA TODAY